1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to baked goods and baking accessories in general, and in particular to preformed dough foodstuffs prepared for cooking and consumption at a later time and to articles for assisting in the baking of such foodstuffs. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of edible films for supporting dough products.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Freshly baked products have long been enjoyed by home consumers and restaurant patrons. Preparing pastries and bread products such as pizza crusts and rolls, however, requires ready supplies of perishable materials, skill, and most importantly, time. To minimize the impact of these factors and reduce preparation time, home consumers and commercial bakers have a need for dough products that may be placed directly in an oven and baked for immediate consumption and/or sale. Likewise, these preformed dough products may help to reduce labor costs and order preparation times for restaurants and pizzerias. In the past, pizza crusts have been supplied to pizza makers and other users as prebaked, preformed frozen or refrigerated crusts, with the cheese and other toppings being added to the crust at the time of baking or processing for further sale. Pizza crusts of this sort were typically formed by a die-stamping or filming process. In one process, the crusts were baked within a retaining ring or platen, and then packaged. By partially or completely baking the product prior to removal from the baking pan, the desired molded shape was preserved. A drawback of prebaked bread products is that the final article is twice-baked and does not retain the moist rich texture and taste of a freshly-baked product. With these products, at least a semblance of freshness has been made by providing pizza crusts with a central portion which is unbaked and frozen. The unbaked preformed central portion will rise a certain amount when baked, and provides an improved texture and taste. However, this is still short of a freshly baked dough.
Historically, it was known in the prior art to use edible films as barriers primarily to protect various foods and pharmaceuticals from spoilage. For example, peanuts and various encapsulated medicines are protected with plasticized edible films.
Moreover, as is known to those skilled in the art, some foods require additional care and handling at the various stages of their production. For example prior to freezing, frozen food products can be difficult to handle. The same is true for these products when they become thawed. In the past, paper, metal, or plastic containers and supports have been used to package frozen foods. However, such packaging is difficult to reuse and recycle. Thus, it often winds up in garbage piles and landfills across the world. As such materials are not generally easily biodegradable, they cause numerous long-term problems including waste of natural resources and land, as well as, disease. Needless to say, it is desirable to an environmentally friendly package for such frozen food products.
When placed directly in a consumer""s oven, frozen dough products may deform over the parallel bars of the oven rack and be subjected to uneven baking. Nevertheless, baking on a solid tray or pan may restrict the escape of gases from the dough, and inhibit ideal baking conditions.
One previous solution is U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,508 to Donnelly, et al. (hereby incorporated herein by reference). However, one drawback of that invention is that after baking the preferred paperboard substrate must be disposed of, thereby creating unwanted waste.
Thus, what is needed is a dough product assembly that may be formed into a desired shape and delivered in frozen form to an end user for immediate baking and consumption without excess waste or clean-up.
What is also needed therefore is environmentally safe and sufficiently strong packaging material for frozen food products. Further, what is also needed is a package that is easily disposed of after use. Additionally, what is needed is packing material that is edible yet provides sufficient support for food products during freezing and thawing so that the products hold their shape. Until now these requirements have not been fully met by the prior art without incurring various disadvantages.
Moreover, as the food processing business is very competitive, a preferred solution will be seen by the end-user as being cost effective. A solution is cost effective when it is seen by the end-user as compelling when compared with other potential uses that the end-user could make of limited resources.
The below-referenced U.S. patents and other documents disclose embodiments that were at least in-part satisfactory for the purposes for which they were intended. The disclosures of the below-referenced prior United States patents and other documents in their entireties are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application for purposes including, but not limited to, indicating the background of the present invention and illustrating the state of the art.
In the past others, most notably Aristippos Gennadios and Curtis L. Weller in Edible Films and Coatings from Wheat and Corn Proteins, Food Technology, October 1990 at pages 63-69, described the use of fibers, such as wheat and corn, to produce edible packaging materials.
Still others, like U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,112 to Watson, disclose a water-soluble packing material made with an extruder. U.K. Pat. App. No. 2,220,346 A discloses a baking film of greaseproof paper or parchment coated with silicon. U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,907 discloses a marshmallow based edible film. U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,692 discloses an edible film that can be sprayed on food products. U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,051 discloses an edible food container with a moisture resistant barrier coating.
The dough products of the present invention are generally formed of proofed dough that is molded to a desired shape and frozen on a paperboard packing preform without being subjected to baking. This allows the frozen product to be formed in such a manner to prevent the yeast from being killed.
During the forming process, an edible baking film or substrate is positioned between the dough and the preform. Thus, when the dough is pressed and formed onto the preform, the baking substrate is engaged to the dough. The assembly of dough and baking substrate is then packaged with the preform and frozen for delivery. The product consumer removes the assembly (frozen dough product and baking substrate) from the preform and positions the assembly in an oven on the bars of a conventional oven rack. The substrate prevents the dough product from distortion on the oven rack bars, while allowing the escape of gases from the underside of the dough product, and thus enabling proper baking. Additionally, perforations may be added to the substrate to allow preferential radiant heating to particular regions of the baking product, to control relative baking rates, assure even baking of a nonuniform product, to better secure the substrate to the dough product, and to prevent slippage in assembly.
During baking, the edible substrate is absorbed into the underside of the dough product. Upon removable from the oven, the dough product is ready for immediate consumption. Because the substrate dissolves into the crust during baking, there is no additional waste to deal with or pan clean-up required.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a frozen dough product assembly that may be placed directly in an oven for baking without the need for a pan.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a frozen dough product assembly that retains the shape of the dough product when baked on an oven rack.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dough product assembly that allows gases to escape from all sides of the product when baked in an oven.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an article for controlling the radiant heat transmitted to a dough product within an oven to thereby control the baking of the product across variant regions.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a frozen dough product assembly which includes an edible baking substrate.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a frozen dough assembly that minimizes clean-up and waste.
Another object of the invention is to reduce labor costs and order preparation times for baked products.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wheat-based baking substrate that is absorbed upon baking.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that has one or more of the characteristics discussed above but which is relatively simple to manufacture and assemble using a minimum of equipment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method that is predictable and reproducible, thereby decreasing variance and operating costs.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method that has one or more of the characteristics discussed above but which is relatively simple to setup and operate using relatively low skilled workers.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, these objects are achieved by providing a dough product support assembly comprising a portion of dough and an edible film for supporting the portion of dough. In another embodiment, the invention includes a frozen food support assembly comprising an edible, soluble film including wheat fibers, starch, and gum for binding the wheat fibers.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, these objects are achieved by a method of supporting raw dough comprising the steps of providing a wheat-based edible film, depositing a portion of raw dough on the edible film, heating the raw dough and the film in an oven to a temperature of about 180 degrees Fahrenheit, disintegrating the film through baking to leave a baked, unsupported dough structure, and removing the dough structure from the oven for consumption.
To satisfy the above objectives, the invention may also include a method of facilitating the baking of frozen dough products in an oven comprising the steps of forming a portion of dough, forming a baking substrate, flattening the dough on the substrate, adhering the substrate to the dough, freezing the dough and the substrate in a freezer, placing the frozen dough and the substrate in an oven for baking, supporting the dough while thawing with the substrate, allowing radiant heat to bake the dough, absorbing the substrate into the dough during baking, and removing the baked dough for serving. Alternatively, the invention may also include a process of forming dough comprising the steps of placing a quantity of dough on an edible film, positioning the dough on the film beneath a die, pressing the die over the dough to form the dough into a desired shape, forcing the dough into intimate contact with the edible film, and freezing the formed dough on the edible film.
Further, the invention may include a method of supporting dough comprising the steps of providing a wheat-based dough support member, coating the dough support member with a water-based mixture to provide additional stability, placing a portion of dough on the dough support member, baking the dough and the dough support member in an oven until the dough is rigid, removing the dough from the oven, and serving the dough for human consumption.
Moreover, the invention may include a method of manufacturing an edible dough support film, comprising the steps of laying a pliable film on a conveyor, flattening the film with a rolling drum, drying the film, and preparing the film for transport.
The above methods and processes may contain additional steps, such as, rolling the film into rolls prior to transport, transporting the film, unrolling the film rolls, and cutting the film into shapes appropriate for use with frozen dough products. Additionally, these may include the following steps as well: placing a cardboard preform on a conveyor, spraying the preform with a spray (e.g. food-grade oil) a first time, sprinkling the preform with cornmeal, spraying the preform with a spray a second time, and placing the film on the perform. After the above steps are completed, the following steps may also take place: placing a quantity of dough on the film, positioning the dough on the film beneath a die, pressing the die over the dough to form the dough into a desired shape, and freezing the formed dough on the edible film.
These, and other, aspects and objects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.